Mat



Feb. 2, 1954 c. J. #ETERsoN MAT Filed Feb. 24, 1951 urli Patented Feb.2, 1954 2,667,654 MAT Christen J. Peterson, Chicago, Ill.; GeorgeGoessele, Theodore Bank & Trust Christen J. Peterson,

Wear Proof Mat Compa poration of Illinois M. Dunlap, and City NationalCompany, executors of said deceased, assignors to ny, Chicago, Ill., acor- Application February 24, 1951, Serial N o. 212,540 2 Claims. (Cl.15-215) This invention relates in general to floor mats or floor coversand is essentially an improvement on the mat disclosed in my Patent No.1,948,826, February 27, 1934.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved mat for variouspurposes; to provide a mat having unique means for removing dirt, or thelike from the soles of shoes; to provide a mat with downwardly extendingprojections or protuberances which will assist in making the cleaningaction more effective and which will also provide draining andVentilating space on the under side of the mat; to provide a mat such asshown in my prior patent with a plurality of regularly spaced buttons orprojections on the lower surface thereof; and to provide such otheradvantages or improvements as will appear more fully from the followingdescription.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 3 is an end View;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail; and

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 showing the wiping or cleaning actionof the upwardly projecting ridges and intermediate channels of a surfaceof the mat.

As shown in these drawings, the mat 6, which may be of any desired sizeor shape and which for commercial use are frequently made in longstrips, is formed of any suitable material such as rubber, syntheticrubber, or rubber composition. It consists of a sheet 'l with aplurality of substantially triangular ridges formed in pairs asindicated at 8 and 9. These ridges are preferably right angled triangleswith their diagonal faces opposed to form grooves le between each pairand grooves or channels I I between the adjacent pairs. The ribs aretapered toward the upper edges I 2 and these edges are relatively sharpand also ilexible or yielding in order to provide for the cleaningaction.

The lower face of the sheet is provided with a plurality of short roundknobs or projections I3 which are arranged in rows, some of the rows I4being opposite the centers of the pairs of ribs as shown particularly inFigs. 4 and 5 and other rows I5 being intermediate of the first namedrows. These buttons or projections serve to hold the lower surface ofthe sheet away from the floor or support on which the mat is placed.This provides space for drainage which is particularly desirable whenthe mats are used in a bath tub or shower, and also provides forventilation so that the bottom of the mat will become dry after beingused.

Another important feature of these buttons as shown in Fig. 5 is thatthey provide narrow supports or fulcrums under the scraper strips B and9. On account cf such narrow support and the flexibility of the edgesI2, the sheet under the outer walls of the edge portions will tend to becurved as shown in Fig. 5 while at the same time the sharp or thin edgeportions will be forced outwardly when pressed down as by means of aboot or shoe I t. This accentuated spreading or outward relativemovement of the edge portions of the ribs under pressure of the soleswill cause the edges to clean or scrape ofi dirt or the like from thesole as indicated at I'i', Fig. 5.

It will be apparent that the buttons or knobs I3 may be made of anysuitable shape, and other changes may be made in the shape of the matwithout departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in thefollowing claims in which I claim:

l. A mat comprising a sheet fori/ned of flexible rubber, with aplurality oi parallei ridges on the upper surface, said ridges being inthe form of right angled scalene triangles in cross section, the ridgesbeing in pairs with the longer sides of each pair opposed to each otherand forming longitudinal grooves, the several pairs being separated bychannels bounded by the right angled faces of the ribs, downwardlyextending projections arranged in rows on the lower side of the sheetopposed to the center lines of said grooves which serve as fulcrunis forexing the ridges laterally when pressed downwardly, and downwardlyextending projections arrange in rows opposed to the center lines of thechannels and coacting with said projections to assist in permitting thelateral flexing of the ridges when the mat is being used.

2. A flexible rubber mat comprising a sheet having a plurality ofparallel ridges on the upper surface, each of said ridges being in theform of a right angled scalene triangle in cross section, said ridgesbeing in pairs with the longer sides of each pair opposed to each otherand forming longitudinal grooves, the several pairs being separated bydepressions and having a plurality of integrally formed fulcrums on thelower side of the sheet in the form of buttons spaced apartlongitudinally of the mat and opposed to the center lines of saidlongitudinal grooves and integrally formed bearings in the form ofprotuberances spaced apart longitudinally on the lower side of the sheetand positioned opposite to the center linesv of said depressions wherebyeach ridge is supported so that its acute upwardly projecting portionwill readily nex sidewise when pressed downward by the foot of a personusing the mat, the buttons and protuberances serving to permit the easyflexing of the sheet adjacent to the ridges.

CHRISTEN J. PETERSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 115,345 Neefus May 30, 1871 863,054 Dickerson Aug. 13, 19071,190,179 Livingston July 4, 1916 1,948,826 Peterson Feb. 27, 19342,512,310 Corson June 20, 1950

